


Alpdrücke

by Fujoshichan69



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Frottage, M/M, Yule, drude, elves and fairies, saxon folklore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 13:27:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13077834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fujoshichan69/pseuds/Fujoshichan69
Summary: A Drude (malevolent dark spirit, basically) is terrorizing a small German village. Jean is unhappy and not well liked in the village due to his sour attitude and he challenged to be sent out to dispatch the spirit. But the Drude isn't all that he seems





	Alpdrücke

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kaiyatan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaiyatan/gifts).



> Hey, it's me, Lu, your secret santa! Your prompts were really nice, but I think I have more experience with the supernatural, so I chose the second one, I hope you like it and merry christmas!!!!

The change was subtle; a sudden chill in the wind, a light tremor in the trees, a warning on the ripples on the surface of a still lake. People used to know, they were attuned with nature, they used to pay more attention, this time the auguries went unnoticed.

Until the nightmares started.

At first nobody wanted to say anything. Who would like to admit to waking up in a cold sweat, screaming like only a tormented soul could.

Weeks passed before the inhabitants of the small town of Trost started suspecting something was amiss; the milk soured almost as soon as it was milked, the nanny goats that used to give plenty of milk now gave none, the manes of the horses appeared knotted and braided in unnatural ways, things would disappear, just to later appear in that same place, and the nightmares; feverish dreams, that started with an abrupt pressure on the chest and a lack of air.

Folk started to whisper, making the sign of the cross frequently, looking over their shoulders. When that yield no results they started bringing the old beliefs back; discreet pentagrams carved on thresholds, letting a small light burn all night, laying a broom under a pillow, placing a mirror on the sleeping person's chest. They tried to avoid falling asleep while carrying their daily routines and tasks, but under the pretense of normality everyone was on edge.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was harvest time and Mr Smith paid well to all the young boys and girls to help him pick apples in his orchard. He was the teacher in the local school and made the best apple cider in the region. The ripe and shiny apples hung enticingly from the branches, one of the boys helping couldn't help to pick one and greedily bite it.

“Jean!” chided one of his companions “That is stealing!”

  
“Relax, Armin” Said the tall man to his blond friend “I will tell Mr Smith to pay me less for whatever I eat”

  
“No you won't you little shit” Added another young man, looking intensely at Jean with big green eyes.

  
“Shut up Jaeger!” Answered Jean while pushing the dark haired boy to the ground.

  
“Guys, come on, I am too tired for your stupid rivalry” Said a muscular blond man, as he towered over the fallen boy and offered him his hand to help him getting on his feet.

 “Eren?” Asked the tall blonde when he got no response “Eren, man are you ok? You got pale all of the sudden, like you just saw a...” the man cut the sentence, then Eeren seemed to react at last. 

“Sorry, Reiner, I just... I don't know I suddenly had a weird feeling.... I am OK, thanks” Said Eren, while accepting Reiner's help.

  
There was something wrong, Jean knew it, it was like the air got thick all of the sudden and everyone got uncomfortable for a moment, but as soon as people got busy again, the mood passed and it was like nothing was wrong.

  
As soon as the midday sun shun bright over the helpers, came Mr. Smith's son, Erwin, with beer and bread for everyone. It was time for a well deserved break.

Armin and Eren went to sit under the shade of a tree, Armin was worried about his friend and his odd behaviour.  
“Eren... what happened? You got all quiet and stiff when Reiner got close to you...”

  
“I don't know... I just... I had another nightmare last night. I guess that Reiner reminded me of it”

  
“I had one the other night... it was so real” Answered Armin, closing his fist so tightly that his knuckles got white “There...were really tall monsters that would eat people and...”

  
“Pffff, that is fucking ridiculous” Said a familiar voice from behind the tree “You two are nothing but bed-wetting children”

  
“I swear, to God, Jean” Said Eren getting on his feet to face the snooper.

“You are just like my mother, she has been acting weird lately, like I am going to war or something.”

  
“But it's just... not normal” Interrupted Armin trying to prevent his friends from fighting again. “Mi grandfather has also mentioned dreaming about a wall surrounding Trost to protect us from monsters”

  
“Well, that's just superstitious bullshit” Insisted Jean.

  
“ARE YOU CALLING ARMIN A LIAR?” Eren shouted, this time pushing Jean to the ground. “You are such an asshole, Jean.

  
“Jean, Eren, stop acting like brats and get to work!”

  
“Sorry, Levi” Said Eren before grabbing Armin's hand and getting away from Jean to continue working.

  
Jean just stayed there, looking at the sun shining through the leaves. Everyone whispered about nightmares. Everyone could remember how horrid they were and they all seemed connected somehow. Everyone comforted each other in the morning, everyone except Jean. He had nightmares too, but he couldn't remember them. It was difficult to relate to what his friends were going through, and therefore he had been acting even more unpleasantly that usual.

At the end of the day and with their pockets full of coins, everyone decided to go for a drink to the local tavern after dinner. There was something bothering Jean that evening, he couldn't even find comfort in his favourite wheat beer, everywhere he went people where discussing in hush tones the content of their dreams, Jean could hear snippets in every turn.

“...I was trapped in a Rock, a transparent rock, I couldn't move, it was so cold...”

  
“...I lost my arm, one of those things bit it clean...”

  
“..when we got back everyone in my home town was dead, I felt so guilty...”

  
“...then that thing ate my mom in front of me, I couldn't save her..."

  
“...I was so afraid and sad, then he gave me a red scarf...”

  
_“...Drude...”_

  
“...a heavy weight on my chest..."

  
_“...Drude...”_

  
“...I just couldn't breathe...”

  
_“...Drude...”_

  
“...I was screaming, but I couldn't wake up...”

  
_“...Drude...”_

 

Jean emptied his third glass and made it to leave the place, just to crash with Eren on his way out and making the green eyed boy spill his beer on his clothes.

  
“Watch it horseface!” Shouted Eren angrily.

  
“YOU watch it, Jaeger!” Retorted Jean grabbing the other boy by the neck of his shirt.

  
“You owe me a beer, horseface” Said Eren

  
“Stop calling me that, asshole” Answered Jean

  
“You are the asshole! What crawled up your ass and died?”

  
By now the place was silent and everyone was looking at the boys expectantly.

  
“I might be an asshole, but at least I am not a superstitious peasant who blame their dreams on _Druden”_ hearing this the crowd gasped in unison, you never talked out loud of the _Druden,_ that was equivalent of inviting them to your house.

  
“Well if you are so brave, prove it, horseface!” bellowed Eren.

  
By then everyone was shouting and pushing as a way to vent their frustrations and fears. plates flew and drinks were spilled, but nothing worse happened because moments later they were kicked out by Mrs Braus, the owner of “The Rose of Trost".

“That's it” Said Eren while trying to clean the dust from his clothes “If we all are superstitious peasants and you are oh, so brave, then prove it!” Jean could not answer, so the boy continued “Go to Wotan's tree at midnight on _Samhain_ and tell the _Drude_ to fuck off”

  
Jean kept silent, but the color on his face keep darkening. “Do it, Jean, I fucking dare you!”

  
Not getting a reaction from the other boy, the crowd slowly dissipated along with the last words from Eren,

_I fucking dare you_

+++++++++++++++++++

  
The night was colder than Jean expected and the full moon illuminated the path that led to the old rotten tree. The boy walked slowly, hugging his coat, a bag full of possible offerings on his back, listening to the crunching of the leaves under his feet, it was almost midnight, he had to hurry.

  
Wotan's tree was an imposing sight. The oldest one in the forest, it stood in the middle of a clearing. It looked, dead, but it wasn't. Covered in lichen, moss hanging from its branches. It really did look like a fairy tree. It certainly looked like the god Wotan himself had chosen this place to reveal the secret knowledge of the runes to mankind. As soon as he reached his destination, he felt the midnight wind lashing at his face. _This is ridiculous_ , he though. _There are no such things as Druden, or Alpen, there are no fairies nor kobolds and I won't stay here any longer looking for something that doesn't exis...._

craaaack

“Who.... who is there.... Jaeger, is that you...? Said Jean with a trembling voice after he heard a branch snapping nearby.

  
“If this is a fucking joke I swear to God I will...” the rest of the sentence died on his lips, as the light from his oil lamp revealed a tall figure slowly approaching him. It wasn't the silhouette of anybody he knew. It was masculine, tall and robust and it walked slowly towards him. As he came closer and the light hit his face, Jean almost fainted. He was handsome, his hair was black and shiny, his skin was covered in freckles and he had the most attractive smile Jean had ever seen. But it wasn't his good looks what paralyzed him, it was his eyes, they glowed like embers when the light reflected on them. This handsome young man wasn't human.

“I... I meant no disrespect” Said the blond boy shakily before he could help himself “I will go now and never come back... just don't kill me”

  
“I will not harm you... Jean, please stay a bit longer. Do you have milk with you by any chance”

  
Jean was so shocked his brain took a while to process the words. The other boy smiled again and waited patiently for him to move.

  
“Uh... Yes.. I have milk, honey and bread and...How do you...you know my name?” he answered while fumbling with the bag.

 

“Sit, I promise I won't harm you” Answered the boy pointing to a nearby fallen log big enough for two people. Hesitating, Jean followed.

  
“So... what are you? How do know me? Are you a...?” Jean said once sitting, giving the other boy the milk.

  
“Well. Technically I am a Drude, but you can call me Marco” he said, before drinking the whole bottle of milk in a few seconds. Jean swallowed nervously after this information. As far as he knew a Drude was an evil nocturnal spirit, an elf of sorts that sat on people's chest at night and brought them horrific nightmares while feeding on their energy, this man certainly was handsome and seemed friendly, unlike the ones depicted in ancient lore.

  
“That was nice, Jean, thank you” Said Marco licking the remainder of the while liquid from his lips.

  
“So...how do you know my name?” Asked the boy while retrieving the bottle of ale from his bag. He certainly needed a drink.

  
“Yes, that.... to make a long story short I was punished for my mischief and sent here for a while to rethink my actions” Marco started, Jean passed him the ale bottle, but Marco didn't drink. “The forest is boring, there is nothing to do here so I discovered the village nearby and I decided to pay a visit. For a while I observed you all but, no offence, mortals are really boring, so I decided to visit at night and give you all exciting dreams full of action and adventure!”

  
“Fucking, hell, so it _was_ you...” He growled before remembering that Marco was a supernatural being and probably could easily kill him “I mean, if I can speak frankly, that is not what you're doing”

  
“Am I not?” Asked Marco, genuinely puzzled

  
“No. You are traumatizing the whole village with horrible nightmares about huge monsters that eat people...”

  
“Titans” Interrupted Marco.

  
“What?”

  
“They are Titans, they use to exist a long, long time ago” he answered matter of fact

  
“Well, Titans or not every citizen of Trost have been on edge lately and they discuss their dreams every day, the actually suspect there is an evil force to blame”

  
“Evil? I am not evil!” Marco, said, offended, “I only wanted to give their lives some extra excitement!”

  
“I am sure... but we humans see things differently and we don't appreciate that kind of dreams every night” Said Jean, the weight of the ale warming his stomach by then, he should have eaten the bread before

  
“I never thought about that. I mean dreams are just dreams” Said Marco. Damn he was really attractive.

  
“So... have you visited me too?” Asked Jean, gathering courage from the alcohol.

  
“I... have...” Stuttered the Drude

  
“Then how come I never remember my nightmares?”

  
This was Marco's time to blush and look away. But Jean remained firm and stared at him until the boy caved.

  
“Because I don't let you remember them”

  
“What do you mean”? Asked Jean, pulse racing. Marco sighed and answered without looking at Jean.

  
“Sometimes I make myself present in people's dreams. As an observer, a background character. I never interact with anyone and people never notice me, but in your dreams.... you talked to me Jean, you looked for my company, you helped me, you comforted me, so I looked for an out and appeared to die in your dream. You were distraught. I was a stranger in your dream and you befriended me and when I died you cried and you missed me, you even made a keepsake from my bones...”

  
Silence fell between them, both boys stared at the light from the oil lamp. Neither knew what else to say. Jean's heart was racing so hard that he thought he could die.

  
“It is almost dawn, you should go” Said Marco finally. Jean stood up, his legs were stiff from the cold. And when le looked at the log to say goodbye, Marco was not there any more.

 

************

  
After that night nobody dreamed about titans again. Eren was the first to congratulate Jean. “Probably you scared the Drude with your ugly horseface” He said, but he also bought him a drink and clapped his back really hard while lauging. It was then when Jean started to slowly remember his dreams. He remembered Marco in them, all the time they spent together, their friendship, and how the pain from losing him pierced his chest like an arrow.

Days became weeks that became months. Jean went often to Wotan's tree, but Marco wasn't there again. He still left milk for him whenever he visited. He secretly wished to see him again. He kept returning even when the days got colder and the snow approached. Marco was still nowhere to be found.

 

Yule festivities were near and the town was preparing to celebrate. Mistletoe and holly adorned every house in Trost. Lights burned in ever window. Ornaments carved from wood could be seen everywhere, the smell of freshly baked cookies permeated the town.

  
It was the second day of advent when nigh Jean found himself in the stable at dawn. He was wearing the Survey corps uniform and he was sweeping the floor. The horses were preparing themselves for the night and the boy stopped for a moment when the door from the stable opened and someone came in. it was a tall male, with dark hair and freckles, he smiled as Jean dropped the broom in shock.

“M...Marco” He said overwhelmed by the desire to hug the other man.

  
“Hi Jean...” Said the boy, slowly approaching, he seemed almost shy,

  
“Am... am I dreaming” Asked Jean, closing the distance between them.

  
“Yeah, I hope you don't mind. I wanted to see you again” he smiled

  
“I'm glad. I've been visiting the tree and leaving you milk”

  
“I know... “ He answered taking Jean's hand “Actually, I tried to keep away but... I can't. I miss you too much”

  
“Me too. I remembered the dreams, I remembered you, Marco” He squeezed the other boy's hand in response. “I am glad I can see you again”

  
“Can I kiss you?” Asked Marco, Jean noticed his hand was sweaty, how detailed this dream was.

  
Jean took the first step and put his lips over Marco's. The other boy responded immediately, using his free hand to bring Jean closer. He ran his fingers through the other boy's hair. The innocent kiss started to heat up. Hands were roaming bravely, exploring incessantly. But after a while it was Jean who broke the kiss.

“Wait. Marco...”

  
“Is there anything wrong? Do you wanna stop?” Answered the freckled boy stepping back.

  
“No, it's just... I don't wanna do this in a dream. I want to feel you, for real.”

  
Marco laughed “We can do anything you want” he added, then Marco and the sable started to fade. Jean slowly opened his eyes, he was tucked in be and Marco was on top of him, sitting gently on his chest, legs on each side, so as not to harm him.

  
That is when Jean noticed Marco was naked. His muscles rippled as he got up, and Jean couldn't keep his eyes away from his body, his broad chest, his long muscular legs, all him was perfect and Jean couldn't wait to touch him. He waited impatiently until Marco slowly crawled into bed with him. Once they were face to face again, the blond didn't waste any time before his hands were on him again, he caressed his face and his hair, blessing this happy moment. Marco's ember-like eyes were hypnotizing and he couldn't get enough of him, he had to bring him closer, touch him more. It would never be enough, he realized.

  
They kissed again. Jean was already hard from the dream and Marco's body next to him felt delicious. He started to grind unconsciously on the other boy, looking for friction. More, Closer. Faster. Marco started to imitate Jean's movements, holding him closer and kissing him more deeply.

  
“Oh, Jean, you feel so good, so warm, so soft” Panted Marco. Jean got shivers when he heard Marco's voice in his ear. It was such an unusual voice, so out of this world, so melodious that he could only moan as a response, Marco took that as a sign to continue, grinding on Jean in such a way that knew would drive him crazy. Jean was loosing control, he wanted to moan and scream his immense pleasure to the world, but he bit the inside of his cheek and continued to kiss every part of Marco that was available to him. His body and heart were on fire, he felt he would explode into flames any minute.

When Jean was approaching climax, he clung to Marco's neck for dear life while grinding harder on him.

“You are delicious, Jean, you are perfect, I love you” Said Marco and that tipped Jean over the edge. He gasped Marco's name before feeling the other boy moaning as he came too.

  
“I love you too, Marco” said Jean, sleepy and satisfied. And they kissed one last time before falling asleep in each other's arms.

Jean woke up alone, he was sticky and his sheets were a mess, but the smell of Marco remained in them, so he decided to wash them himself later. While he cleaned himself up he remembered his last conversation with Marco. In his dreams, he told him that he would find a way to stay with him forever and that in the meantime he would visit him during the night as often as he could, for as long as Jean would accept him.

Every night after that, Jean made sure there was big bottle of milk waiting for Marco at Wotan's tree.

**Author's Note:**

> This is it, I hope you liked it.  
> Maybe it is worth to mention that the title means “nightmares” in German, literally “Elf's weight” cause elves sat on people's chests and paralyzed them.  
> the German word for Elf is Alp and the plural is Alpen, like the plural of Drude is Druden  
> and Wotan is the name the Saxons had for the Norse god Odin.  
> Any mistake or misspelling is my fault, this is unbeta-ed please let me know if there's anything wrong so I can correct it.   
> Special Thanks to Poppy for pointing out that this needed some formatting improvements!


End file.
